Sacred Heart Church in Loikaw in Myanmar’s Kayah state was hit by military shelling on May 23. Four people were killed and eight wounded in the incident. (Photo: Kantarawaddy Times/AFP)
June 17 2021
Priest appeals to military commanders to lift road blockages to allow humanitarian aid to reach people in Chin state
Thousands of people including Christians have taken refuge in churches and convents as Myanmar’s military has continued to fight local resistance forces in the conflict-torn nation.
Catholic and other Christian churches have become the main refuge for thousands of people forced to flee from their homes during conflict in Kayah, Chin, Kachin and Shan states.
Churches and convents have opened their doors to fleeing civilians, especially the elderly, children, women, the sick and disabled, regardless of religion and race.
In Loikaw Diocese in Kayah state, thousands of people are still sheltering at churches and convents.
Father Francis Soe Naing, chancellor of Loikaw Diocese, said displaced people have taken refuge in churches as they deem them to be safe.
However, some people had to flee into the jungles when three churches were struck by military shelling.
In Pekhon Diocese, around 10,000 people are taking refuge in five churches
“We are arranging a safe sanctuary for those who are in the jungles by building a temporary camp in the seminary in Loikaw,” Father Soe Naing told UCA News.
Three churches in Loikaw Diocese were struck by military shelling within two weeks, with a May 23 attack on Sacred Heart Church killing four people and wounding eight others despite white flags flying on top of the church.
In Pekhon Diocese, around 10,000 people are taking refuge in five churches despite four parishes in Mobye township having been totally abandoned due to intense fighting.
The Sacred Heart Cathedral and Marian Shrine in the diocese in southern Shan state also came under fire from military shelling last month.
Bishops recently appealed for places of worship not to be attacked and for people seeking refuge there to be protected.
“Kindly observe the international norms of sanctuary in war times: churches, pagodas, monasteries, mosques, temples, schools and hospitals are recognized as neutral places of refuge during conflict,” they stressed.
In impoverished Chin state in western Myanmar, thousands of people have fled into the jungles while others, mostly Christians, have taken refuge at churches.
Father Joseph Se Thang, parish priest of Sacred Heart Church in Mindat town, said around 120 people, mainly the elderly and women, were in the church compound after leaving the jungles.
More than 1,200 people have taken refuge at churches in surrounding parishes where they have received shelter, food and medicines.
“I appeal to local military commanders to lift road blockages to allow for humanitarian aid as thousands of people face running out of food,” Father Se Thang told UCA News.
Christians are a minority in predominantly Buddhist Myanmar, accounting for 6.2 percent of its 54 million people
Thousands of displaced people who have taken refuge at camps in Chin state have had to flee again after fighting reached the area.
Churches in Chin state have yet to be targeted since the escalation of violence in early May.
Fighting has been escalating in Kayah, Shan, Chin, Kachin and Karen states between the military and ethnic armed groups and local resistance groups known as the People’s Defense Forces (PDF) since the Feb. 1 coup that has led to more than 175,000 people being displaced.
Christians are a minority in predominantly Buddhist Myanmar, accounting for 6.2 percent of its 54 million people.
Areas occupied by the Kachin, Chin, Karen and Kayah, who have been facing oppression and persecution at the hands of the military for decades, are largely Christian. – UCANews
